ATI RN Exit Exam 2025/2026 –
Questions with Correct Verified
Answers and Expert Rationales
Question 1: Management of Care
A nurse is prioritizing care for four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?
A) Client with a urinary catheter reporting mild discomfort.
B) Client with chest pain and diaphoresis.
C) Client awaiting discharge teaching for diabetes management.
D) Client requesting pain medication post-appendectomy.
Correct Answer: B) Client with chest pain and diaphoresis.
Rationale: Chest pain and diaphoresis suggest acute coronary syndrome, a life-threatening
condition requiring immediate assessment to rule out myocardial infarction, per 2025 ACLS
guidelines. Urinary discomfort (A), discharge teaching (C), and post-op pain (D) are lower
priorities.
Question 2: Safety and Infection Control
A nurse is preparing to enter a client’s room who is on airborne precautions for tuberculosis.
Which action should the nurse take?
A) Wear a surgical mask and gloves only.
B) Wear an N95 respirator and gown.
C) Apply a face shield and sterile gloves.
D) Use a cloth mask and standard precautions.
Correct Answer: B) Wear an N95 respirator and gown.
Rationale: Airborne precautions for tuberculosis require an N95 respirator to filter small
particles and a gown for contact protection, per 2025 CDC infection control standards. Surgical
masks (A) and cloth masks (D) are inadequate. Face shields and sterile gloves (C) are
unnecessary.
,Question 3: Health Promotion and Maintenance
A nurse is teaching a client about hypertension management. Which statement indicates
understanding?
A) “I should limit my sodium intake to 4 grams per day.”
B) “I should aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days.”
C) “I can stop my medication once my blood pressure is normal.”
D) “I should avoid all fruits to prevent sugar spikes.”
Correct Answer: B) I should aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days.
Rationale: Regular aerobic exercise (30 min/day, most days) helps lower blood pressure, per
2025 AHA guidelines. Sodium should be limited to 2.3 g/day (A). Stopping medication (C) risks
rebound hypertension. Fruits (D) are part of a balanced diet.
Question 4: Psychosocial Integrity
A client with schizophrenia reports hearing voices commanding self-harm. Which action should
the nurse take first?
A) Administer an antipsychotic medication as prescribed.
B) Assess the client’s immediate risk of self-harm.
C) Engage the client in a group therapy session.
D) Document the client’s hallucinations.
Correct Answer: B) Assess the client’s immediate risk of self-harm.
Rationale: Command hallucinations pose an immediate safety risk, requiring priority
assessment to determine intent and plan interventions, per 2025 mental health standards.
Medication (A), therapy (C), and documentation (D) follow safety assessment.
Question 5: Basic Care and Comfort
A nurse is assisting a client with limited mobility to reposition in bed. Which technique should
the nurse use to prevent injury?
A) Pull the client up by their arms.
B) Use a draw sheet and two staff members.
C) Slide the client without lifting.
D) Reposition alone using a sliding board.
, Correct Answer: B) Use a draw sheet and two staff members.
Rationale: A draw sheet with two staff members ensures safe repositioning, reducing shear and
staff injury, per 2025 patient safety protocols. Pulling by arms (A) risks joint injury. Sliding
without lifting (C) increases friction. Repositioning alone (D) is unsafe.
Question 6: Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
A nurse is administering insulin glargine to a client with type 1 diabetes. Which action is
correct?
A) Administer at varying sites daily.
B) Inject into the abdomen without pinching the skin.
C) Mix with regular insulin in the same syringe.
D) Warm the insulin to room temperature before injection.
Correct Answer: B) Inject into the abdomen without pinching the skin.
Rationale: Insulin glargine is injected subcutaneously in the abdomen without pinching to
ensure proper depth, per 2025 ADA guidelines. Site rotation (A) is correct but not specific.
Glargine cannot be mixed (C). Warming (D) is unnecessary.
Question 7: Reduction of Risk Potential
A client post-thyroidectomy reports tingling around the mouth and muscle twitching. Which
laboratory value should the nurse review first?
A) Sodium.
B) Calcium.
C) Potassium.
D) Magnesium.
Correct Answer: B) Calcium.
Rationale: Tingling and twitching post-thyroidectomy suggest hypocalcemia due to parathyroid
gland damage, a critical complication requiring immediate review, per 2025 surgical care
standards. Other electrolytes (A, C, D) are less likely causes.
Question 8: Physiological Adaptation
A nurse is caring for a client with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Which finding indicates the client’s
condition is improving?
Questions with Correct Verified
Answers and Expert Rationales
Question 1: Management of Care
A nurse is prioritizing care for four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?
A) Client with a urinary catheter reporting mild discomfort.
B) Client with chest pain and diaphoresis.
C) Client awaiting discharge teaching for diabetes management.
D) Client requesting pain medication post-appendectomy.
Correct Answer: B) Client with chest pain and diaphoresis.
Rationale: Chest pain and diaphoresis suggest acute coronary syndrome, a life-threatening
condition requiring immediate assessment to rule out myocardial infarction, per 2025 ACLS
guidelines. Urinary discomfort (A), discharge teaching (C), and post-op pain (D) are lower
priorities.
Question 2: Safety and Infection Control
A nurse is preparing to enter a client’s room who is on airborne precautions for tuberculosis.
Which action should the nurse take?
A) Wear a surgical mask and gloves only.
B) Wear an N95 respirator and gown.
C) Apply a face shield and sterile gloves.
D) Use a cloth mask and standard precautions.
Correct Answer: B) Wear an N95 respirator and gown.
Rationale: Airborne precautions for tuberculosis require an N95 respirator to filter small
particles and a gown for contact protection, per 2025 CDC infection control standards. Surgical
masks (A) and cloth masks (D) are inadequate. Face shields and sterile gloves (C) are
unnecessary.
,Question 3: Health Promotion and Maintenance
A nurse is teaching a client about hypertension management. Which statement indicates
understanding?
A) “I should limit my sodium intake to 4 grams per day.”
B) “I should aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days.”
C) “I can stop my medication once my blood pressure is normal.”
D) “I should avoid all fruits to prevent sugar spikes.”
Correct Answer: B) I should aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days.
Rationale: Regular aerobic exercise (30 min/day, most days) helps lower blood pressure, per
2025 AHA guidelines. Sodium should be limited to 2.3 g/day (A). Stopping medication (C) risks
rebound hypertension. Fruits (D) are part of a balanced diet.
Question 4: Psychosocial Integrity
A client with schizophrenia reports hearing voices commanding self-harm. Which action should
the nurse take first?
A) Administer an antipsychotic medication as prescribed.
B) Assess the client’s immediate risk of self-harm.
C) Engage the client in a group therapy session.
D) Document the client’s hallucinations.
Correct Answer: B) Assess the client’s immediate risk of self-harm.
Rationale: Command hallucinations pose an immediate safety risk, requiring priority
assessment to determine intent and plan interventions, per 2025 mental health standards.
Medication (A), therapy (C), and documentation (D) follow safety assessment.
Question 5: Basic Care and Comfort
A nurse is assisting a client with limited mobility to reposition in bed. Which technique should
the nurse use to prevent injury?
A) Pull the client up by their arms.
B) Use a draw sheet and two staff members.
C) Slide the client without lifting.
D) Reposition alone using a sliding board.
, Correct Answer: B) Use a draw sheet and two staff members.
Rationale: A draw sheet with two staff members ensures safe repositioning, reducing shear and
staff injury, per 2025 patient safety protocols. Pulling by arms (A) risks joint injury. Sliding
without lifting (C) increases friction. Repositioning alone (D) is unsafe.
Question 6: Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
A nurse is administering insulin glargine to a client with type 1 diabetes. Which action is
correct?
A) Administer at varying sites daily.
B) Inject into the abdomen without pinching the skin.
C) Mix with regular insulin in the same syringe.
D) Warm the insulin to room temperature before injection.
Correct Answer: B) Inject into the abdomen without pinching the skin.
Rationale: Insulin glargine is injected subcutaneously in the abdomen without pinching to
ensure proper depth, per 2025 ADA guidelines. Site rotation (A) is correct but not specific.
Glargine cannot be mixed (C). Warming (D) is unnecessary.
Question 7: Reduction of Risk Potential
A client post-thyroidectomy reports tingling around the mouth and muscle twitching. Which
laboratory value should the nurse review first?
A) Sodium.
B) Calcium.
C) Potassium.
D) Magnesium.
Correct Answer: B) Calcium.
Rationale: Tingling and twitching post-thyroidectomy suggest hypocalcemia due to parathyroid
gland damage, a critical complication requiring immediate review, per 2025 surgical care
standards. Other electrolytes (A, C, D) are less likely causes.
Question 8: Physiological Adaptation
A nurse is caring for a client with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Which finding indicates the client’s
condition is improving?
